The family of Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer that Lord Peter Mandelson should never have been appointed the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States, citing newly leaked emails that they say demonstrate an inappropriate relationship between Mandelson and Epstein.
Sky Roberts, Giuffre’s brother, told reporters the appointment was ‘‘absolutely not’’ appropriate and said the messages underscored how deeply corruption can run in public systems. His sister‑in‑law, Amanda Roberts, said survivors repeatedly have to expose ‘‘skeletons’’ before officials are held accountable.
The emails, obtained by Bloomberg and later published by other outlets, show exchanges between Mandelson and Epstein stretching back more than a decade. They include messages from 2006 in which Mandelson — then a European commissioner — wrote ‘‘What’s cooking?’’ after Florida police charged Epstein with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, and offered ‘‘Here whenever you need.’’ Another message, sent the day before Epstein began serving an 18‑month sentence under a controversial plea deal, said: ‘‘I think the world of you... you must fight for early release."
Other messages recorded by Bloomberg show Epstein seeking Mandelson’s help in lining up influential contacts as the FBI pursued a sex‑trafficking investigation. In January 2008 Epstein wrote about a ‘‘Mr Big’’ who had a meeting with ‘‘Lefky,’’ a reference outlets and reporting have linked to Jay Lefkowitz, one of Epstein’s defense lawyers. Epstein also appeared to ask Mandelson to use contacts in connection with the governor of Florida and to refer to then‑prime minister Gordon Brown as ‘‘your boy’’ in relation to a White House meeting. Bloomberg’s cache does not identify the ‘‘Mr Big’’ or some other figures referenced in the exchanges.
Mandelson has said he deeply regrets maintaining a relationship with Epstein ‘‘far longer than I should have done’’ and has denied seeing any wrongdoing. He has also stated he never sought or was offered women from Epstein, noting he is gay. The disclosures have nonetheless intensified scrutiny of Mandelson’s conduct and of the networks that allowed Epstein to retain influence even as investigations unfolded.
There has been no suggestion in reporting that Mandelson met Giuffre. Giuffre became one of the most publicly recognised victims of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and campaigned widely against trafficking before her death in April. She had alleged she was abused after meeting Maxwell in 2000 and that Epstein introduced her to Prince Andrew in 2001 when she said she was 17; Prince Andrew has denied the claims and settled civil litigation in 2022 with no admission of liability.
Pressure on Mandelson increased after he told a podcast that further ‘‘very embarrassing’’ emails had not yet been made public. The newly released messages have prompted renewed calls from Giuffre’s family and others for accountability from political institutions and for scrutiny of relationships between public officials and Epstein. Downing Street has not publicly announced any decision in response to the family’s appeal, and spokespeople for the figures mentioned in the exchanges have declined to confirm details beyond previously stated positions.
The disclosures add to a broader body of reporting that has examined how Epstein maintained ties with influential individuals across politics, finance and government in the United Kingdom and the United States even as authorities investigated allegations of sexual abuse and trafficking. Investigations and litigation connected to Epstein and his associates have prompted parliamentary and law‑enforcement reviews in multiple jurisdictions, and the new emails are likely to renew public and political scrutiny of what officials knew and when.